Apparatus for securing articles to web material

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for releasably securing presented articles to an elongated strip of web material having a pressure sensitive adhesive coating includes a pressure pad mounted on a pivotal guide arm. Web material is trained about the pressure pad so that movement of the guide arm moves the pressure pad from a first position spaced from the presented articles to a second position pressing web material against the presented article. The web path between the pressure pad and a web material supply roll increases as the pressure pad is moved toward its second position, and a clamp is provided to prevent relative movement between the web material and the pressure pad during such movement, whereupon web material is unwound from the supply roll. Upon return movement of the pressure pad to its first position, the clamp is released and slack web material is wound onto a take-up roll, thereby presenting a new surface of the web material to the next article presented.

22 Filed:

United States Patent [191 Tanck, Jr.

[ Jan. 30,1973

[73] Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester.N.Y.

Feb. 10, 1971 [21] App1.No.: 114,282

[52] U.S. Cl. ..156/5 52,156/297, 156/553, 156/558, 156/562 [51] Int.Cl. ..B32b 31/10 [58] Field of Search ..156/552, 553, 562, 459', 497, 156/558, 191, 192, 297, 302 53/198 [56] 1 References Cited Chancellor ..156/552 X Primary Examiner-Daniel J. Fritsch Attorney-W. H. .l. Kline and Milton S. Sales [57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for releasably securing presented articles to an elongated strip of web material having a pressure sensitive adhesive coating includes a pressure pad mounted on a pivotal guide arm. Web material is trained about the pressure pad so that movement of the guide arm moves the pressure pad from a first position spaced from the presented articles to a second position pressing web material against the presented article. The web path between the pressure pad and a web material supply roll increases as the pressure pad is moved toward its second position, and a clamp is provided to prevent relative movement between the web material and the pressure pad during such movement, whereupon web material is unwound from the supply r011. Upon return movement of the pressure pad to its first position, the clamp is released and slack web material is wound onto a take-up roll, thereby presenting a new surface of the web material to the next article presented.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENIEDmso um I .SHEET 10F 3 VACUUM SOURCE FRANK J. TANCKJR.

ENVENTOW ATTORNEYS APPARATUS FOR SECURING ARTICLES TO WEB MATERIAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to apparatus for storing small articles, and more particularly to apparatus for storing such small articles by automatically fixing and supporting the articles in a linear array on a strip of web material having an adhesive coating.

2. Description of the Prior Art The use of vibratory or oscillatory feed hoppers for the storage of small, light weight articles during assembly operations is well known in the art. However, many types of small articles cannot beeffectively or economically handled in bulk by use of such devices. One example of such type articles is a small coil spring, which because of its wiry nature tends to tangle excessively when packed in bulk. Tangling of the parts creates difficulties in untangling the parts prior to usage and requires either extra personnel or lessened efficiency of the existing assembly personnel. Attempts have been made to solve these problems by storing and shipping small articles on an adhesively coated backing. However, the articles were manually oriented and placed on the adhesive coated rectangular cards, shipped in layers in cartons, and peeled from the cards by assembly personnel. Manual orientation of mass produced articles is costly, and the rectangular cards did not lend themselves to use in automated feed devices.

To overcome such disadvantages, it has been suggested that articles may be affixed to a continuous web having a pressure-sensitive adhesive coating and the web helically wound on a reel to become a storage unit from which the articles may be individually dispensed in proper orientation by advancing the web to a stripping location. Apparatus of this general type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,140,010 in the name of P. E. Double and No. 3,249,256 in the names of E. R. Stern et al.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide new and novel apparatus for securing articles to a strip of web material.

In accordance with the above object, apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes means for receiving a supply roll of continuous strip material having a pressure-sensitive adhesive coating. The web is intermittently advanced, past a station where articles are presented for pick-up, to'a take-up for the web. Guide means normally space the web away from the pick-up station and include means for pressing the web against a presented article between-advancing steps to secure the article to the web. v

The guide means may include a pressure pad over which the web is trained. The pad is movable from a first position spaced from the pick-up station to a second position pressing the web against a presented article. As the pad moves toward its second position, the path of the web material between the supply roll and the pressure pad increases. Means are provided for holding the web material fixed with respect to the pressure pad so that additional web material is stripped from the supply roll during such movement of the arm.

The invention, and its objects and advantages, will become more apparent in the detailed description of the preferred embodiment presented below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above, as well as other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which like characters denote like parts and wherein:

FIG. I is a perspective view of apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention together with a portion of a machine in conjunction with which the apparatus might be used;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2 showing operation thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, a spring fabrication machine shown generally as 10 has a spring cut-off station 12 through which finished springs 14 extend as they are severed by machine 10. Because apparatus for the fabrication of springs is well known, the present description will not include further details of machine 10 than are necessary for the full disclosure of the apparatus in accordance with the present invention which is not limited to use with spring fabricators but may be used to secure any small article to a strip of web material.

The apparatus in accordance with the present invention includes a housing plate 16 which may be mounted on fabrication machine 10 by a bracket 18. Bracket 18 is provided with a clamping block 20 movable along a channel in the top of machine 10 for location the apparatus in alignment with cut-off station 12. Once aligned, bracket 18 is held in place by tightening a bolt 21 shown in FIG. 2. A pair of threaded studs 22 fixed to bracket 18 extend through elongated slots 24 in plate 16 to provide for course adjustment of the apparatus in the directions of double ended arrow 26. After aligned, plate 16 is secured to bracket 18 by a pair of nuts 28.

A supply roll 30 of web material 32 (for instance a roll of masking tape) may be rotatably mounted upon a hub 33 carried by a fixed shaft 34, which extends from plate 16. Roll 30 is held on hub 33 by a plate 37 and a nut 35. Web 32 has a pressure-sensitive coating applied thereto on the inner surface of web convolutions on reel 30. A tape take-up reel 36 is rotatably mounted upon a fixed shaft 38 on a take-up arm 40 carried by plate 16. Take-up reel 36 serves to receive web material unwound from supply roll 30 is driven in a web-winding direction by a tendency drive mechanism including a motor 42 and a friction roller 44.

A tape guide arm 46 is mounted on plate 16 for rotation about a stud bolt 48. A cam follower 50 is bolted to arm 46 in a recessed portion 52 of the arm and is positioned to contact a cam surface 54 of a cam disc 56. The cam disc is fixed to a shaft 58 which rotatably extends through plate 16 and is turned by the drive for machine 10 through a flexible coupling in timed sequence with the machines operation so that the high point 60 of cam surface 54 is aligned with follower 50 each time a spring is presented at cut-off station 12. A

tension spring 62 is connected at one end to plate 16 by a screw 64 and at its other end to the top of arm 46 to hold cam follower 50 against can surface 54. A web guide 66 extends from a plate 68 which is screwed to arm 46 in recess 52. A similar web guide 69 protrudes from plate 16.

A web guide member 70 is carried by arm 46 adjacent cut-off station 12 by a pin-and-slot arrangement permitting fine adjustment of the position of a pressure pad 72 on the guide member relative to the cut-off station. Two pairs of flanges on guide member 70 form a channel for guiding the web around the bottom of guide arm 46 and across the pressure pad. Pressure pad 72 serves to press the adhesive side of web 32 against a presented spring 14 to assure affixing of the spring to the web.

A web clamping station, shown generally at 74, comprises web channel-defining guides 76 and 78 and a vacuum chamber (not shown), channel guides 76 and 78 serving to direct and guide web 32 over the vacuum chamber. A vacuum tube 80 interconnects a vacuum source 82 to the vacuum chamber through a throughway valve 84. Valve 84 is electrically operated by a switch 86 controlled by a lever 88 having attached thereto a roller 90 which is positioned in the path of a cam plate 92 held on the side of cam disc 56 by a bolt 94 passing through a slot 96 in plate 92 and into disc 56. Plate 92 is positioned circumferentially on disc 56 such that switch 86 is closed by the plate as cam follower 50 begins to ride up cam lobe 60. This actuates valve 84 to connect the vacuum source to the vacuum chamber, thereby holding the web motionless in the clamping station 74.

In operation, supply roll 30 of web material 32 is mounted on shaft 34 and the web is threaded as viewed in FIG. 2 from the supply roll, over tape guides 69 and 66, about web guide member 70 and pressure pad 72, through clamping station 74 and onto take-up reel 36. During fabrication of springs 14 in spring fabrication machine and as a spring emerges from pick-up station 12, arm 46 is held in the position shown in FIG. 2 by spring 62 and cam plate 56 is rotating in a counterclockwise direction. As a spring 14 emerges from cutoff station 12, cam lobe 60 approaches cam follower 50 and cam plate 92 approaches roller 90. Continued rotation of disc 56 closes switch 86 to apply vacuum to clamping station 74 and to begin rotating arm 46 in a clockwise direction about stud bolt 48. Due to the geometry of the web path relative to arm 46 (the path of the web between the supply roll and pressure pad 72 increases as guide arm 46 moves in a clockwise direction) and the fact that web 32 is held fixed at station 74 as guide arm 46 pivots around stud 48, a short section of web will be pulled from supply roll 30. Rotation of guide arm 46 moves web guide member 70 toward spring cut-off station 12 and brings web 32, backed by pressure pad 72, into contact with spring 14 as it emerges from cut-off station 12. Simultaneously or shortly after this contact, spring 14 is cut-off by the spring cut-off mechanism contained in fabrication machine 10. Elements of the apparatus are now positioned as illustrated in FIG. 3.

Upon continued rotation of cam 56, the shape of cam surface 54 permits guide arm 46 to return to its initial position under bias of spring 62, thereby moving web guide member away rom spring cut-off station 12. Simultaneously, the vacuum chamber in clamping station 74 is opened to the atmosphere by the opening of switch 86 to release web 32 for movement. The slack, which now exists between supply roll 30 and take-up reel 36, is wound upon the take-up reel by motor 42, thereby moving a new surface of web 32 into position before spring cut-off station 12. The pick-up device has now returned to the position shown in FIG. 1, preparatory to the fabrication and pick-up of another spring 14.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for. securing small articles which are presented at a pick-up station to an elongated web of strip material having a pressure sensitive adhesive coating, said apparatus including:

means for receiving a supply roll of such strip materia take-up for such strip material;

a guide arm movable between a first position and a second position;

a pressure pad carried by said guide arm over which strip material may be trained, said pressure pad being movable with said guide arm from a position spaced from said pick-up station when said guide arm is in its first position to a position pressing said strip material against an article presented at said pick-up station when said guide arm is in its second position; and

means for intermittently advancing said strip material from said roll receiving means over said pressure pad to said take-up, said advancing means comprising 1) means for increasing the path of said strip material between said roll receiving means and said pressure pad by a predetermined amount as said guide arm moves from its first to its second position and (2) means for releasably holding said strip material fixed with respect to said pressure pad as said guide arm moves from its first to its second position to thereby strip a length of strip material equal to said predetermined amount from said supply roll.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said holding means includes:

a vacuum chamber mounted on said guide arm and over which said strip material is passed; and

means for reducing the pressure in said chamber as said guide arm moves to said second position. 

1. Apparatus for securing small articles which are presented at a pick-up station to an elongated web of strip material having a pressure sensitive adhesive coating, said apparatus including: means for receiving a supply roll of such strip material; a take-up for such strip material; a guide arm movable between a first position and a second position; a pressure pad carried by said guide arm over which strip material may be trained, said pressure pad being movable with said guide arm from a position spaced from said pick-up station when said guide arm is in its first position to a position pressing said strip material against an article presented at said pick-up station when said guide arm is in its second position; and means for intermittently advancing said strip material from said roll receiving means over said pressure pad to said take-up, said advancing means comprising (1) means for increasing the path of said strip material between said roll receiving means and said pressure pad by a predetermined amount as said guide arm moves from its first to its second position and (2) means for releasably holding said strip material fixed with respect to said pressure pad as said guide arm moves from its first to its second position to thereby strip a length of strip material equal to said predetermined amount from said supply roll.
 1. Apparatus for securing small articles which are presented at a pick-up station to an elongated web of strip material having a pressure sensitive adhesive coating, said apparatus including: means for receiving a supply roll of such strip material; a take-up for such strip material; a guide arm movable between a first position and a second position; a pressure pad carried by said guide arm over which strip material may be trained, said pressure pad being movable with said guide arm from a position spaced from said pick-up station when said guide arm is in its first position to a position pressing said strip material against an article presented at said pick-up station when said guide arm is in its second position; and means for intermittently advancing said strip material from said roll receiving means over said pressure pad to said take-up, said advancing means comprising (1) means for increasing the path of said strip material between said roll receiving means and said pressure pad by a predetermined amount as said guide arm moves from its first to its second position and (2) means for releasably holding said strip material fixed with respect to said pressure pad as said guide arm moves from its first to its second position to thereby strip a length of strip material equal to said predetermined amount from said supply roll. 